Why the Same Coral Costs $30 or $300
Genus-level rows on this index can span a 100× price range without anything being mispriced. Here's what actually drives coral price spreads.
Published July 29, 2026 · figures recomputed from data through October 20, 2026 · by Reef Price Index
Look up almost any coral type on this index and the range looks absurd: the same "species" priced at $25 at one end and several hundred dollars at the other. The widest spread on the latest snapshot is Chalice Coral, running from $10.00 to $2,499.99 — a 250× ratio. Nothing in that range is mispriced. Understanding why is the single most useful thing a coral buyer can learn from price data.
The widest spreads right now
| Coral type | Low | Median | High | High ÷ Low | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalice Coral | $10.00 | $77.00 | $2,499.99 | 250× | 249 |
| Acropora | $14.99 | $149.99 | $2,499.99 | 167× | 1058 |
| Montipora | $14.99 | $54.99 | $1,999.99 | 133× | 331 |
| Micromussa / Acan Lords | $49.99 | $129.99 | $1,799.99 | 36× | 169 |
| Goniopora | $24.99 | $159.99 | $799.99 | 32× | 196 |
| Scolymia / Master Scoly | $199.00 | $499.99 | $5,899.00 | 30× | 49 |
| Mushroom Coral | $34.99 | $127.49 | $899.00 | 26× | 235 |
| Zoanthids | $19.00 | $49.99 | $389.99 | 21× | 854 |
| Bowerbanki Acan (Homophyllia bowerbanki) | $59.99 | $149.00 | $899.00 | 15× | 28 |
| Lithophyllon | $19.00 | $49.99 | $274.99 | 14× | 30 |
| Plate Coral (Fungia/Diaseris) | $49.99 | $249.99 | $699.99 | 14× | 81 |
| Echinata | $29.00 | $59.99 | $399.00 | 14× | 41 |
| Acanthophyllia (Meat Coral) | $219.00 | $499.00 | $2,899.00 | 13× | 66 |
| Toadstool / Leather Coral | $29.00 | $99.00 | $324.99 | 11× | 47 |
| Birdsnest Coral (Seriatopora) | $19.00 | $44.99 | $199.99 | 11× | 57 |
Four honest reasons one coral type spans 100×
- Strain names. Our coral rows group at genus level by design — a "chalice" row contains every named chalice strain the vendors list. A common strain's frag and a grail strain's frag are the same row and can differ in price by two orders of magnitude. The name, not the polyp count, is most of the price.
- Size class. A single-polyp frag, a multi-head colony, and a show colony of the same strain are one biological type at three very different prices.
- WYSIWYG vs. representative. The certainty of buying the exact photographed piece carries its own measured premium (we quantified it by genus).
- Grade within a strain. Two frags of the same named strain differ in coloration quality, and vendors price that grade honestly — the high end of a row is usually a vendor's best pieces, not its most optimistic pricing.
What tight spreads look like
The comparison that proves the point: coral types sold as structure rather than coloration cluster tightly, because there's no strain lottery to price.
| Coral type | Low | Median | High | High ÷ Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavona (Cactus Coral) | $19.00 | $24.99 | $29.99 | 1.6× |
| Duncan Coral | $34.99 | $39.99 | $59.99 | 1.7× |
| Platygyra (Maze Brain) | $39.00 | $49.99 | $74.99 | 1.9× |
| Galaxea | $34.99 | $44.99 | $79.99 | 2.3× |
| Alveopora | $79.99 | $139.99 | $199.99 | 2.5× |
How to use a spread when buying
- Anchor on the median for an ordinary frag of an ordinary strain. Half of today's listings sit at or below it.
- Read the low as the entry ticket, not a deal alert — it's usually the smallest frag of the most common strain.
- Never judge a high price against the row median without reading the listing. "Overpriced" and "a named grail strain, graded and photographed" look identical in a table. Click through before concluding anything.